Shoe-cleaning machine in particular for removing mud, snow and dirt from the soles

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to an automatic machine for cleaning and brushing shoes and, in particular, ski boots, after ski boots, boots, etc., which specifically cleans the soles of the shoes too, removing any snow, mud, dirt, sand and the like with specific means, such as brushes and jets of (warm or cold) air and jets of a disinfectant liquid, the dirt, etc. being collected inside a specific container, and which machine may also sanitize the shoes and, in particular, the soles of the shoes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention relates to a machine for removing from the solesof shoes any type of dirt, from snow to mud and ice, also sanitizing thesoles, melting the snow or ice, or drying the shoes with hot air, ifnecessary.

BACKGROUND OF ART

[0002] It is a well-known fact that, in certain weather conditions,shoes may become rather dirty and that snow, mud, dirt and the like maystick to them and, in particular, to the soles; by way of example,suffice it to mention ski boots, to which large amounts of snow maystick and which subsequently melts in heated environments, such as abar, shop, home, hotel, bus, etc., transforming the floor into a dirtyand slippery mess; or the mud which tends to stick to one's shoes whenwalking in a construction site, field, riding-ground, cross-countrymotorcycling course, etc. It is proven that, in the above-mentionedcases, due to both the scarse aptitude of the persons concerned to wipetheir shoes adequately on the doormat, and to the fact that the latterare not of much use anyway. Traditional means are absolutely inadequateand insufficient, whereby floors tend to be perpetually dirty, slipperyand, therefore, may become dangerous, without mentioning that theydeteriorate rapidly, with a large economic loss.

[0003] It is equally well-known that a number of shoe-cleaning deviceshave been invented, for both homes and public premises; these generallyconsist of a case containing a suitably poweful motor which, by means ofappropriate couplings, drives brushes of a certain hardness and colour,in between which the user must place his shoe, preferably without takingit off; these brushes clean the upper part of the shoe, restoring theiroriginal shine.

[0004] These machines, however, as mentioned above, clean only the upperpart of the shoe, leaving the soles in the same condition they were in.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

[0005] According to the present invention there is provided an automaticmachine for brushing shoes and, in particular, ski boots, after skiboots and other footwear, which, besides cleaning the upper also removesany snow, mud, dirt, sand, etc., from the sole too, which is collectedinside a container by suitable means.

[0006] The machine comprises a small case, made of an unbreakableplastic material, such as, for example, ABS, PP, PET and the like, onthe top of which are the necessary operating controls.

[0007] The brushes for cleaning the soles, preferably made of nylon orother fibres, are housed in the bottom section of the casing; thebrushes are of the most suitable type and are placed inside a metalstructure, with which are made integral the supports and relative ballbearings, the brush driving mechanism, the motor and any other mechanismrequired to operate the machine work.

[0008] In the top part of the metal structure may be fastened (in such amanner as to allow their rotation) two or more cup or roller brushes forcleaning the upper.

[0009] The brushes are activated by an electric motor of sufficientpower, but other known kinds of motors may also be used.

[0010] Beneath the brushes there is a container for collecting the waterand dirt resulting the cleaning operation; the container is providedwith sensors that signal when it is necessary to empty the container, bymeans of a warning light and/or audible warning device, blocking theoperation of the brushes, if necessary, until the container has beenemptied and replaced.

[0011] The machine may be completed by means for sanitizing the soles,such as a container for disinfectant, pumps and nozzles for spraying theproduct, and other means, such as warm air ducts and the like formelting the ice or snow on the soles.

[0012] A loudspeaker and display may also be mounted on the machine andconnected to corresponding sensors, so as to be able to play prerecordedvocal messages or visual displays guiding the user during the use of themachine.

[0013] To further improve the safety of the present shoe brushing andsanitization machine, sensors may be installed for determining the sizeof the shoe, such as to stop it from working if the shoes are either toosmall or too large.

[0014] A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described byway of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0015]FIG. 1 shows a plan of the machine.

[0016]FIG. 2 shows a side view.

[0017]FIG. 3 shows a front view.

[0018]FIG. 4 shows a view from the top.

[0019]FIG. 5 shows a cross-section A-A.

[0020]FIG. 6 shows a cross-section B-B.

[0021]FIG. 7 shows a cross-section C-C.

[0022]FIG. 8 shows a plan of the machine, where the brush at the frontconsists of a roller brush in the middle integral with twolarger-diameter cup brushes at the sides.

[0023]FIG. 9 shows a rear view of the machine.

[0024]FIG. 10 shows a view of the machine with the brush referred to inFIG. 8 in the foreground and the upper brushes in the background.

[0025]FIG. 11 shows a side view of the machine according to the FIGS. 8to 10.

[0026] Referring to the drawings, the shoe-brushing machine comprises acasing (1) made of a plastic material, such as ABS, PP, PET, or thelike, particularly resistent and coated with a material for protectingit against wear.

[0027] On the top of the casing (1) there are the controls for operatingthe machine; the audible warning device (2), the “on” switch (3), the“on” light (4), the blocked-device light (5), the display (5), theswitch for emptying the container (7), the emergency button (8).Internally, in the bottom section, there are 5 cup brushes (9),preferably of a diameter of 100 mm, made of nylon or other suitable andsimilar material. The brushes (9) are housed in the metal structure (10)inside which are the supports (11) with the relative ball bearings (12)and cogged couplings (13) for transmitting the movement from theelectric motor (16) to the brushes, by means of the positive drive belt(14) engaging a cogged pulley (15). Thanks to the gear transmission thebrushes (9) rotate specularly.

[0028] In the top section of the machine there are two brushes (17)integral with a metal base (18) which are rotated by the motor (16).

[0029] In the bottom part of the machine there is a case with thecontainer (19) for collecting the snow, water, dirt, or whatever else isremoved from the shoes by means of the brushes (9), or the jet of wateror disinfectant. Inside the container (19) there are one or more floatswitches (20) capable of warning when the maximum level of water, dirtor the like has been reached.

[0030] In the front of the casing (1) there is an opening into which theshoe must be placed for cleaning and sanitization, if necessary.

[0031] In order to make it easy to move and transport, the preferredembodiment of the machine also features rear wheels (23) and a fronthandle (24).

[0032] As may be seen in FIGS. 8, 10 and 11, this embodiment of themachine may also be provided with a roller brush (26) in the middle, toclean the sole of the shoe, and complete at the sides with two cupbrushes (28) for cleaning the sides of the soles and the upper; at thetop there are the brushes (29) for cleaning the upper.

[0033] The manner of operation of the machine is rather simple: firstone must plug it in and switch it on.

[0034] The audible warning device then issues a series of prerecordedmessages guiding the user to the use of the machine or warning of themistaken position of the shoe or of any failures; the messages are inthe local language, but it is possible to change the language to suitthe user.

[0035] For example, when the machine is still not working, the messagesmight be:

[0036] Please make sure your shoe-laces are tied before introducing yourshoe; please introduce your shoe gently, ecc.; when the foot isintroduced inside the opening (21) a photocell assesses the size of theshoe (whether it is small or large) and sends a message of confirmationto the PLC unit (25) and the cleaning cycle will then start after about2 seconds, warning the user by means of the audible warning device ofthe start and finish of the operations.

[0037] When the user changes foot the cycle starts all over again. Atthe end of the cycle, after both shoes have been cleaned, there is apause to discourage the same person from re-using the machineimmediately after. The emergency button (8) allows the user to stop themachine immediately, in the case the laces get caught or in any otheremergency.

[0038] As mentioned above, the principal aim of this machine is to cleanthe sole of shoes from snow, mud and the like, therefore it is of theutmost importance that the container should always be capable ofcollecting the dirt, etc. removed from the shoes; this is why themachine has been designed to automatically stop and signal the situationwhen the container (19) is full. The container can thus be emptied withknown means, e.g. a pipe connected to the container. Obviously, if thecontainer (19) is connected to a drain pipe the emptying can take placeautomatically.

[0039] The dirt is held by a replaceable filter and the larger particlesof dirt by a net with a 1×1 mm mesh, for example, which can be removedand cleaned twice a week.

[0040] Cleaning the machine is easy because it is sufficient to removethe rubber shock absorber (22) designed to seal the two sections,unscrew two screws on the rear and just lift the top section to accessthe parts that needs cleaning.

[0041] Up to now, the preferred embodiment has been described.Obviously, however, there may be many embodiments of the machineaccording to the place where it is to be used, giving precedence to theparticular aspect of cleaning the soles.

[0042] Another embodiment, for example, could be used at seaside resortswith a sand aspirator instead of the water jet; in this case the brushesand the brushing action could be softer.

[0043] There could also be a sanitizing embodiment, by means of whichthe sole is brushed and then sanitized with a 0.25% solution ofchlorine, or other appropriate substance. The disinfectant could bereleased by means of a dispenser located near the lower brushes, radialinjectors fed from a tank by an electronic pump controlled directly bythe PLC unit; this embodiment could also be equipped with a pH-meter formonitoring the characteristics of the disinfectant, also controlleddirectly by the PLC unit; if the solution exceeds certain parameters themachine stops automatically and warns the user with a vocal message;this embodiment might be very useful in hospitals, chemicallaboratories, pharmaceutical and food processing plants, in all thoseenvironments where maximum hygiene is a priority.

[0044] Besides the above-mentioned embodiments, roller brushes ordifferently shaped brushes may be used, instead of cup brushes, and themotor may also be replaced by electric, hydraulic, pneumatic or batterypower. Furthermore, there may also be internal jets of (warm or cold)water and air to facilitate the removal of the impurities, to melt thesnow or ice, and dry the shoe; a specific embodiment may also bedeveloped for very small or childrens' shoes, or very large shoes, forspecial situations, and the machine may also be coin-operated oroperated by means of a prepaid card or the like, or even a skipass, forexample, in skiing resorts. The dirt container may be made as adisposable bag, to remove and throw away, if this is more convenient.

1. A shoe-cleaning machine, in particular for removing mud, snow anddirt from the soles, comprising a casing (1) with an opening (21) forintroducing the shoe (without taking it off); a metal frame (10) placedinside the casing (1); brushes (9) for cleaning the sole of the shoe;pins (11) integral with the frame (10) on which the brushes are placed(9); brushes in the top section (17) for cleaning the upper; a metalframe (18) to which the brushes (17) are attached by means of said pins;a motor (16); gear wheels (13) and positive drive belts (14) fortransmitting the movement of the said motor (16) to the said brushes (9and 17); a container (19) for collecting the water and dirt removed fromthe shoes by the said brushes (9 and 17); the means for emptying thesaid container (19); means for discharging (cold or warm) air; nozzlesfor distributing the said air above or below the shoe; sensors fordetermining the size of the shoe; electronic means for processing thedata received from the sensors; means for setting and starting thecleaning cycles.
 2. A shoe-cleaning machine, in particular for removingmud, snow and dirt from the soles, as claimed in any preceding claim,wherein the machine operating controls are placed on the top section ofthe machine casing: namely, the audible warning device (2), the “on”switch (3), the “on” light (4), the blocked-machine light (5), thedisplay (6), the switch for emptying the container (7), the emergencybutton (8).
 3. A shoe-cleaning machine, in particular for removing mud,snow and dirt from the soles, as claimed in any preceding claim, whereinthe bottom section of the machine houses five cup brushes (9), with adiameter of 100 mm and preferably made of nylon or other suitablematerial, which brushes (9) are housed in the metal structure (10)inside which are supports (11) with the relative ball bearings (12) andcogged couplings (13) for transferring the movement of the electricmotor (16) to the brushes by means of the positive drive belt (14) whichengages the cogged pulley (15); a gear transmission enables the brushesto move specularly.
 4. A shoe-cleaning machine, in particular forremoving mud, snow and dirt from the soles, as claimed in any precedingclaim, wherein the top interior part of the machine houses two cupbrushes (17) integral with a metal base (18) and driven by the motor(16) by means of a transmission.
 5. A shoe-cleaning machine, inparticular for removing mud, snow and dirt from. the soles, as claimedin any preceding claim, wherein a container (19) is housed in the bottomsection to collect the snow, dirt and the like removed from the shoes bythe brushes (9 and 17), inside which container there are two or morefloat switches (20) for signalling when the container is full.
 6. Ashoe-cleaning machine, in particular for removing mud, snow and dirtfrom the soles, as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the machineis provided with rear wheels (23) and a handle (24) to make it easy tomove and carry around.
 7. A shoe-cleaning machine, in particular forremoving mud, snow and dirt from the soles, as claimed in any precedingclaim, wherein the audible warning device may play a series of messagesguiding the user on how to use the machine or informing him that theshoe has been placed wrongly or that the machine is not workingproperly.
 8. A shoe-cleaning machine, in particular for removing mud,snow and dirt from the soles, as claimed in any preceding claim, whereinby introducing the foot inside the opening (21) a photocell sends acommand to the PLC unit (25) which starts the cleaning cycle after abouttwo seconds, warning the user, by means of the audible warning device,of the beginning and end of the cleaning cycle; by changing foot thecycle is reset.
 9. A shoe-cleaning machine, in particular for removingmud, snow and dirt from the soles, as claimed in any preceding claim,wherein at the end of the cycle of cleaning of both shoes there may be apause.
 10. A shoe-cleaning machine, in particular for removing mud, snowand dirt from the soles, as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein thedirt removed from the sole of the shoes and which fails into thecontainer is held by a replaceable filter, while the larger particles ofdirt may be held by a net with lxl mm mesh, which must be cleaned onceor twice a week.
 11. A shoe-cleaning machine, in particular for removingmud, snow and dirt from the soles, as claimed in any preceding claim,wherein there is a specific embodiment for using at seaside resortswithout water but installed with a sand aspirator; in this case theaction of the brushes is smoother.
 12. A shoe-cleaning machine, inparticular for removing mud, snow and dirt from the soles, as claimed inany preceding claim, wherein a sanitizing embodiment is provided for, bymeans of which the soles are brushed and disinfected by means of a 0.25%chlorine solution, or other appropriate substance, issued from adispenser placed near the bottom brushes with radial injectors, thedisinfectant being fed from a tank by an electronic pump controlleddirectly by the PLC unit.
 13. A shoe-cleaning machine, in particular forremoving mud, snow and dirt from the soles, as claimed in any precedingclaim, wherein the brushes may be roller brushes, or have other peculiarshapes, and the motor is replaced by electric, hydraulic, pneumaticpower.
 14. A shoe-cleaning machine, in particular for removing mud, snowand dirt from the soles, as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein jetsof air may be provided for internally.
 15. A shoe-cleaning machine, inparticular for removing mud, snow and dirt from the soles, as claimed inany preceding claim, wherein the machine may be coin operated oroperated by means of a prepaid card or the like.
 16. A shoe-cleaningmachine, ir particular for removing mud, snow and dirt from the soles,as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein there is a brush (26) at thefront shaped like a roller (27) in the middle and completed at the sidesby two cup brushes (28).